So today I sat Standard Grade Drama - the first group in Shetland to do so - and lets just say that after the general paper there wasn't a beaming face to be seen. Characterisation techniques? Pfft. Luckily the credit was more familiar territory and I definitely got 8 easy marks. I don't know what I got but I'm certainly not going to stress about it.
Okay, I just watched the 'Funeral' episode of Glee and... sigh... lets just say I'm rapidly losing faith. Stop reseting the characters' personalities and emotionally manipulating me! My tears of laughter and sadness have to be earned god dammit! I think this comment on 'The AV Club' sums up my opinion perfectly:
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The problem with Glee is in the writing. Pure & simple. The cast are fine (and have the necessary talent to back it up) and they all play their respective roles well enough. When they are given something of substance that challenges them as actors, more often than not they are capable of rising to the occasion and giving standout performances. The show's weakest link is it's creators.Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan & Brad Falchuk are talented writers but sadly they have three different takes on "Glee"and rarely do these visions blend with each other. No where is this better illustrated than in the development (or lack of it) in the show's characters. Case in point, Sue Sylvester.
Jane Lynch is a great actress and deserved her Emmy win for bringing this over the top and larger than life character to the small screen. She nails her scenes every single time even when the writing isn't always up to scratch which was very much the case in season two.
Between Murphy, Brennan & Falchuk, Sue Sylvester is no longer someone who even remotely resembles a human being. She has become the "insert crazy character into the scene because it needs some spark!". One moment she is a concerned high school educator determined to help a student who is being bullied (Kurt), the next she is hell bent on hurtling a teenager out of a canon (Brittany) because her cheerleading routines bore her and she needs something to bring back that creative burst of energy.
One moment she's a loving and devoted sibling to a sister who has Down Syndrome. The next she is pushing students out of the way and throwing objects everywhere because the school won't back another of her wild and wacky schemes. In short, the character is all over the place and in many ways, she highlights the weaknesses in the show's writing structure.
I've always maintained that the show is in serious need of a script editor/supervisor who can rein the three creative heads in and get them thinking as a collective group rather than just three individual writers who have their own agendas. Someone who can sit these three men down and says what needs to be said. "This works", "This doesn't", "This needs more attention".
The series has a number of things that still work in it's favour. It can still be touching, hilarious and down right entertaining when it wants to be. But the faults and flaws are becoming increasingly apparent and as the series reaches the end of it's second season, hopefully Mr's Murphy, Brennan & Falchuk will put the show on a more coherent course of storytelling narrative along with a better thought out sense of plot and character development as well.
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SONG OF THE DAY: I Got Rhythm - George Gershwin
Tara x
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